Observations on the win over Penn State, 14-9!

1-Michigan gets an early lead on a turnover in the red zone and takes advantage, 3 red zones for 14 points. Penn State creates 4 red zones, 3 in the second half for only 9 points. Defense wins this one with a great effort!

2-Mallett was 16 of 29 for 170 yards, runs for a TD, sacked twice, created two turnovers on a fumble and an interception; however, Penn State only converts one turnover into 3 points. Offense had 25 first downs, 336 yards in total offense and is 10 of 18 in 3rd down efficiency. Manningham and Arrington had 6 catches each. We had over 9 minutes time of possession advantage which resulted in a 26 play advantage. Boring football, but it produced a win.

3-Hart gained 153 yards on 44 carries and a TD; what a workhorse! The way he was stopped at the 2, and managed to place the ball forward for the score was the difference. Minor added 12 yards in 3 carries. We beat Penn State with 166 yards in net rushing to 101.

4-Defense won the game! We held Penn State three field goals in 4 red zone opportunities. Morelli was 15 of 31 for 169 yards, 6 of 17 in 3rd and 4th down conversions and we sacked him three times forcing two turnovers. Penn State had only 270 yards in total offense and 14 first downs. Brandon Graham sacked Morelli, forcing a fumble and Chris Graham recovered leading to our first TD. Engelmon forced another that Trent recovered, but the play was reviewed and reversed. Tim Jamison also gets a sack while Brandon Graham gets 2. We had a lot of hurries and knockdowns on Morelli. Kinlaw gained 69 yards on 12 carries. Good pass rush, good coverage, great defense! I think Adams had his best game of the year at safety and as a Wolverine with 8 tackles, and 5 pass break ups. Brandent Engelmon had 6 tackles. The biggest thing was we allowed Penn State no big plays, and limited their red zones to field goals or turnovers.

5-Gingell missed a field goal. Mesko punted 6 times with 2 touchbacks, and nailed 3 inside the 20 in the second half when we needed it. Kickoff and punt coverage was adequate, and we didn't let Williams beat us on punt or kickoff returns. The only penalties were a pass interference call on Adams, Crable lined up offside and an ineligible downfield call on Massey negated a pass interference call on King on Manningham.

6-Mitchell left in the 2nd quarter with an injury, but came back. His replacement, Ciulla, gets injured on the first play. McAvoy came into the game in the 3rd quarter and finished the game at right guard. Slocum made the dress list, but didn't play. Mouton and Campbell didn't dress either. It doesn't look like we miss Johnny Sears much on defense or special teams. The play call with a snap to Hemingway resulted in a 4 yard loss, DeBord screws up.

7-We win at Northwestern, come home to pummel Eastern Michigan and we'll be ready for Purdue's high powered offense hopefully. By that time, Henne should be back, and Mallett will be much more capable. Go Blue!

Observations on the first half with Penn State, 7-3!

1-Michigan gets an early lead on a turnover in the red zone and takes advantage, 2 red zones for 7 points. Penn State creates one red zone for 3 points. We lead at half by taking advantage of 7 points off turnover while Penn State got a turnover, but too late to capitalize.

2-Mallett is 8 of 19 for 93 yards, runs for the lone TD and one interception to close the half when we could have kicked a field goal. Offense has 13 first downs, 183 yards in total offense and is 5 of 10 in 3rd down efficiency. Manningham and Arrington have 4 catches each. We had almost 2 minutes time of possession advantage which resulted in a 15 play advantage (45 to 30); however, we didn't take advantage of the red zone we created.

3-Hart has gained 76 yards in 18 carries, Minor added 12 yards in 3 carries. We lead Penn State with 90 yards in net rushing to 31.

4-Defense has been solid! We held Penn State to a field goal in 6 possessions with one red zone. Morelli is 7 of 12 for 85 yards, and he has made mistake because our defense has hurried him. Penn State only has 116 yards in total offense in the 1st half. Brandon Graham sacks Morelli, forces a fumble and Chris Graham recovers. Engelmon forces another that Trent recovered, but the play was reviewed and reversed. Tim Jamison also gets a sack.

5-Special Teams has not been good. Gingell missed a field goal. Mesko punts 3 times with 2 touchbacks. Kickoff and punt coverage was adequate. The only penalty was Crable lining up offside although an ineligible downfield call on Massey negated a pass interference call on King against Manningham.

6-Mitchell left in the 2nd quarter with an injury, but came back. His replacement, Ciulla, gets injured on the first play. Slocum made the dress list, but Mouton and Campbell didn't dress. The play call with a snap to Hemingway resulted in a 4 yard loss, DeBoard screws up.

7-We deferred so we get the ball first. We must no turn the ball over, get our running attack going, and continue to sack Morelli if we are to win this one.